Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) - Essay Sample

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a childhood cancer that causes muscle weakness, decreased physical functions among other effects (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.48). Education about the disease to the children and parents as well as aerobic exercise are the two elements that used in cancer rehabilitation and the article aims to offer information on whether exercise has any effects on ALL patients. The information is important to nurses because it offers education and information necessary to take care of a child with ALL, which needs to be shared with the parents and the children as well. The article focuses on determining the effects of exercise on the quality of children with ALL in their life and physical parameters. The research purpose is clearly stated as the aim of the study in the article.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The studys research question is based on the effects of exercise on the quality of children with ALL on their life and physical parameters. It is further subdivided into the childrens identifying and disease-related characteristics, the impact of the exercise program to the quality of life, and the impact of the three-month exercise program on physical parameters. The research hypothesis is on the relationship between exercise on ALL patients and the physical parameters (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.49). The other hypothesis is the relationship between the exercise program and the childrens quality of life. The dependent variables are therefore the quality of life and physical parameters of the childrens life while the independent variable is the impact of aerobic exercise.

There was no conceptual model used in the study. The authors have reviewed past studies to gather information on the topic thus making it easy to for a reader to relate the findings of the study to the research objectives as well as the nursing practice without the need of a theoretical framework. Various articles have been cited in the study, and they range from the year 1981 to 2009. The information reviewed may, therefore, be invalid for the study that was published in 2012. The best reviews should not exceed five years . Thus they should be from 2007 to 2012. A literature review is evident in the introduction, validity, and discussion sections to support the studys aim. The study design used is a randomized controlled trial on 21 control patients and 20 trial ones with their parents (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.49). The participants were chosen randomly however there were some criteria used. The participant needed to be an outpatient, displayed a grade 3 in motor strength, and was between 8 to 12 years. A randomized controlled trial uses a control group, and participants are randomly chosen which makes the information gathered more accurate because of the participants diversification.

Despite choosing the participants randomly, Tanir & Kuguoglu (2012) can face various internal validity threats. There could be experimenter bias where some participants are favored over other because of their health or any other factor. The participants may have received incorrect information thus affecting the information gathered in the study. The instruments used could also alter the findings is they have some errors. The external validity threats include Multiple-treatment interference as the study was carried out in different locations, childrens home and hospitals (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.49). The specificity of the variables lacks and it may interfere with the research objective.

Tanir & Kuguoglu (2012) have used randomized sampling design because the participants were randomly selected. The sample size is 41 participants who include the trial and control patients. The number is, however, smaller thus making the study less accurate. The article has not revealed any information on the population of ALL children thus one cannot ascertain whether the sample represents the actual population. Various tools were used in the data collection process and included the 9-minute Walk Test and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.49). They are tests previously used hence Tanir & Kuguoglu (2012) are guaranteed of quality results when used in the study. The extraneous variable is childrens identifying and disease-related characteristics which are grouped as gender, age, and school status. The study focuses on quality of children with ALL on their life and physical parameters hence any additional variable is extraneous. The authors ensured that the external variable was imposed in groups, trial, and control, for equal responses.

Various tools are evident in the study. Tanir & Kuguoglu (2012) have used PedsQL 4.0 for the quality of life measurement, the childrens identifying form and the PedsQL 3.0 cancer module for assessing the quality of life as well (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.49). Various past studies have been cited to indicate their validity and reliability, and they indicate that the tools are reliable and valid for the study. The information gathered from the children, and their parents were offered with the consent of the participants because they signed a patient informed consent form. The data collection procedure is appropriate because the parents and children were first informed of the plan, purpose and benefits of the research before the signing of the consent. Therefore, all participants were willing to take part in the study because they signed the consent form after the explanations.

SPSS program was used in the analysis of data, which is a descriptive statistical method. It critically analyzes any information and is accurate hence it is appropriate for Tanir & Kuguoglu (2012) study. The analysis procedure will ease and fasten the work of the researchers. There is correlation through chi-square and f-test thus enabling the researchers to make relations between the effect of exercise on life and physical parameters easily (Tanir & Kuguoglu, 2012, p.53). The use of t-tests, z-test and confidence level values enabled the researchers to manage to correlate the trial and control group results thus making a distinguished analysis of each group. The analysis is, therefore, valid for the study.

The study has used various statistical methods in the analysis as well as data collection tools that are valid and reliable. The study has also used randomized controlled trial which ensures data gathered is from distributed areas thus making the study more accurate. The study, however, uses different environments in the study which may alter the findings. The study also needed to focus more on how to expose ALL children to exercise and target a bigger sample size.

Reference

Tanir, M. & Kuguoglu, S. (2012). Impact of Exercise on Lower Activity Levels in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Randomized Controlled Trial from Turkey. Rehabilitation Nursing, 38(1), 48-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rnj.58